Submitted by Jim McCaffrey, Oct 25, 2007 14:05

Tim Marchman is correct about A-Rod, and the impact; if he leaves the Yankees. Just a couple of points though. First before we crown him as "the greatest", lets remember that he is a streaky batter. He's not the greatest clutch hitter, and he's without any real post-season credentials. Whether he leaves NY or not , may have more to do with the quiet and expecting Cynthia Rodriguez, than with the gaseous Scott Boras. Mrs. Rodriguez will not be able to discriminate between $25 million, in a place which now feels like home, and $30 million in a new, unfamiliar city. Teams can insure long term deals, but only against injury or similar reasons for a player failuring to comply with terms. There is no insurance though to protect a projection that A-Rod will be an elite player at age 40. The Yankees are definitely aging, and their young pitchers remain unproven. Giambi and Matsui may be on a sharp downward slide. Robinson Cano should not be so quickly dismissed though. With a little weight training, and a bit more discipline; he could easily become a consistent 30 - 30, All Star for the next 10 years. Alex appears to have a fragile psyche. His adjustment with the Yankees wasn't especially heelped by Torre. The new Yankee manager will be an important factor in his decision. Joe Torre was always disposed to his WS teams and especially to original Yankees likje Jeter, Mariano, Pettite, and Posada. A-Rod became more relaxed when the new guys like Cano, Abreu, Duncan, and Cabrera became a newcomers "caucus". He seemed very comfortable in the closing weeks, and for the first time, during the playoffs. Subtracting Torre may add more to the chances that Alex remains, than anyone realize, or at least than anyone is willing to say at this point. The Yankees did make an unthinkable mistake though in publicly announcing that they would not participate in any free-agent bidding. They could have explained to Alex and Boras that they were unlikely to do do so; But the way it was put, they dared A-Rod to opt out. Very foolish. We shall see. Cheers, Jim McCaffrey

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